Surface mounting IC socket

Abstract

A surface mounting IC socket includes an IC receiving section defined in a frame, and a plurality of contacts spaced apart in side-by-side relation along the frame. Leads of an IC received in the IC receiving section are brought into electrical connection with the contacts within the IC receiving section. Each contact includes a press-in plate portion which is to be pressed into the frame from a lower surface of the frame adapted to confront a wiring board, a contacting arm to be contacted with one of the IC leads extending toward the IC receiving section from a lower end of the press-in plate portion, and a surface mounting arm extending from a lower end of the press-in plate portion toward the IC receiving portion so as to be soldered to a pattern formed on the wiring board.

I claim: 
     
       1. An IC socket for use in connecting an IC having IC leads to a wiring board having a wiring pattern, said IC socket comprising: a socket frame having an IC receiving section defined in a center portion thereof, a plurality of vertical contact-receiving slots being formed in said socket frame outwardly of said IC receiving section;   a plurality of contacts respectively mounted in said contact-receiving slots;   wherein each of said contact-receiving slots is elongated in an inward-to-outward direction, which extends from a center of said socket frame toward an outer periphery of said socket frame, so as to extend between a slot inner wall and a slot outer wall wherein said slot outer wall is spaced outwardly of said slot inner wall;   wherein said contacts are spaced apart from one another in side-by-side relation in a side-by-side direction;   wherein each of said contacts includes a press-in portion mounted in an upper portion of a respective one of said contact-receiving slots, a press-in force receiving portion mounted in a lower portion of the respective one of said contact-receiving slots, a contacting arm extending from said press-in portion inwardly toward said IC receiving section and terminating in an IC lead contacting portion, and a surface mounting arm extending from said press-in force receiving portion inwardly toward said IC receiving section and terminating in a soldering portion;   wherein said press-in portion of each of said contacts is constituted by a plate-shaped portion having opposing vertical planar plate surfaces which face in said side-by-side direction such that the vertical planar plate surfaces of adjacent pairs of said press-in portions confront each other in said side-by-side direction;   wherein said press-in portions extend in said inward-to-outward direction between said slot inner walls and said slot outer walls so as to abut against said slot inner walls and said slot outer walls, respectively; and   wherein said contacting arm of each of said contacts includes a substantially vertical portion extending downwardly from a respective one of said press-in portions, and a substantially horizontal portion extending from said substantially vertical portion inwardly toward said IC receiving section for directly contacting one of the IC leads.   
     
     
       2. An IC socket as recited in claim 1, wherein said press-in force receiving portion of each of said contacts comprises a plate-shaped portion having opposing vertical planar plate surfaces which face in said side-by-side direction such that the vertical planar plate surfaces of adjacent pairs of said press-in force receiving portions confront each other in said side-by-side direction.   
     
     
       3. An IC socket as recited in claim 2, wherein said press-in force receiving portion of each of said contacts is L-shaped so as to include a vertical leg extending downwardly from a respective one of said press-in portions, and a horizontal portion extending from said vertical leg inwardly toward said IC receiving section.   
     
     
       4. An IC socket as recited in claim 1, wherein said press-in force receiving portion of each of said contacts is L-shaped so as to include a substantially vertical leg extending downwardly from a respective one of said press-in portions, and a substantially horizontal leg extending from said vertical leg inwardly toward said IC receiving section.   
     
     
       5. An IC socket as recited in claim 1, wherein said surface mounting arm of each of said contacts extends substantially horizontally from said press-in force receiving portion toward said IC receiving section, such that said surface mounting arm and said substantially horizontal leg of said contacting arm of each of said contacts are substantially parallel to one another.   
     
     
       6. An IC socket as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said slots has a top end and a bottom end, and said bottom end of each of said slots opens through a bottom surface of said socket frame so as to constitute a contact-insertion opening.   
     
     
       7. An IC socket as recited in claim 1, wherein said socket frame includes partition walls extending between each adjacent pair of said slots.   
     
     
       8. An IC socket as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said contacts is constituted entirely from a punched-out plate.   
     
     
       9. An IC socket as recited in claim 8, wherein wherein said press-in portion, said press-in force-receiving portion, and said contacting arm of each of said contacts are equal in thickness; and   said surface mounting arm is thinner than said press-in portion, said press-in force-receiving portion, and said contacting arm for each of said contacts.   
     
     
       10. An IC socket as recited in claim 1, wherein wherein said press-in portion, said press-in force-receiving portion, and said contacting arm of each of said contacts are equal in thickness; and   said surface mounting arm is thinner than said press-in portion, said press-in force-receiving portion, and said contacting arm for each of said contacts.